Post navigation

Intern Lexie Smith on how she was able to raise $1,500!

My name is Lexie Smith and I’m one of the great spring 2018 interns! I am currently a senior at UMSL and will be graduating in December of 2018 with a B.A in Communications. It doesn’t take long working at DSAGSL, to become inspired and want to help this amazing organization in any way you can.

My family owns a Bridal Boutique in Chesterfield called Mia Grace Bridal. It started this January that we wanted to give back to our community in any way we could. In January we donated $20 for every dress sold to Toys for Tots for the holidays. In February we donated to the Mighty Oaks heart foundation to help children that were born with congenital heart disease. And when we were thinking of an organization to donate to for the month of March, I couldn’t help but suggest DSAGSL especially since March is national Down syndrome awareness month specifically March 21st.

Safe to say my family loved the idea and immediately set up a partnership with DSAGSL and would donate $20 for every wedding dress that was sold. To kick start our month, we set up a Facebook-Live video for the first day of March and invited Abigail Beckord and self-advocate Jennifer to talk about the wonderful things that DSAGSL does to help families and create awareness. It was a hit!

Not only did we promote it through social media, but every Saturday and Sunday (our busiest days of the week) we wore our DSAGSL t-shirts and crazy socks! If the bride bought she got to sign a yellow and blue ribbon and got to hang it on our door. The outcome was fantastic! We were able to raise $1500 and awareness to this amazing organization.

Thank you DSAGSL for all the incredible things you do for families, it is truly humbling interning here.